Dust protector for venetian blinds



July l, 1969 D. J. MCMAHON 3,452,802

DUST PROTECTOR FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Filed June 3o, 1967 l sheet 2 of 2 /.\/\/ENTOR. DONALD J. MC MAHON ATTORNEY United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 160-34 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The combination of a transparent plastic bag rectangular in cross-section, open only at the top, dimensioned to be slipped upward over a fully extended Venetian blind and to leave a portion extending above the top rail of the blind. A plurality of spring clips of magnetizable metal clipped on the ends and on the m-idportions of the top and bottom rails. The bag is applied to the blind after yattaching the clips. The same plurality of ilat magnets. The upper extending portion of the bag is folded down over the top rail, and a magnet is .positioned on each top clip with the folded over 4bag portion between the magnets and the clips, thus holding the bag .in position. Likewise a magnet is applied to each clip on the bottom rail, holding the bottom of the bag against the bottom rail. The bag permits light to come through, it collapses accordion-like when the blind is raised, and at all times it keeps dust from settling on the blind slats and rails.

Referring briey to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away and partly in section, of a fully extended Venetian blind having the present invention applied thereto.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly 'broken away and partly in section, of the transparent plastic bag per se.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the spring clips per se.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the bar magnets per se.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral designates a Venetian blind which includes a plurality of slats 11, a pivoted top rail 12, yand a bottom rail 13.

A plurality of spring clips and a like number of flat bar magnets 14, are provided. The clips 15 are made of a magnetizable springy material, deformed out of a strip or band of metal into substantially the shape shown. That is, each clip comprises a body or back portion 16, end portions 17, and jaws 18 separated by a gap 19 which permits `separating the jaws a suicient distance to apply the cl'ip to the blind rail.

The number of such clips and magnets used varies according to the width of the blind. For a blind which is not too wide, such as exemplified in FIG. 1, six clips and six magnets suffice, three of each on top and the same number of each on the bottom.

At 20 is shown a bag made of thin, preferably clear and transparent, plastic; the thickness of the bag has been magnied in the drawing, particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3. The bag consists of a front wall 21, a rear wall 22, side walls 23, and a bottom wall 24; the bag isA open at the top, the opening being shown at 25, FIG. 2. The bag is dimension'ed so that the distance between the mutually parallel walls 21 and 22 is equal to, or slightly in excess of, the width of the rails 12 and 13, and the distance between the two side walls 23 is likewise equal to, or slightly Iin excess of, the length of the rails.

The clips 15 are applied to the rails in the following manner. On the top rail, they are clamped with the jaws 3,452,802 Patented July l, 1969 18 positioned uppermost, While on the bottom rail 13 they are positioned with the jaws 18 lowermost. The bag is then slipped upward about the fully extended blind until the bottom wall 24 engages the rail 13. The vertical dimension, or height, of the 'bag is such that a portion of the same extends above the top rail. This portion, of which part is shown at 26, is folded down over the top rail 12 and at each position where there is a clip 15 a magnet 14 is mounted upon the folded down edges of the bag. The magnet is positioned as shown in FIG. 3, bridging the jaws 18. Magnetic attraction maintains the magnet 14 in this position of clamping the edges of the bag down upon the jaws 18, thus releasably holding the bag in position. It is to be noted that by positioning the magnet as a bridge across the jaws 18, a closed magnetic circuit is provided between the magnet and the clamp 15, the magnetic lines of force extending entirely through the clamp walls 17 and 16. Thus a maximum of magnetic attraction between the magnet and the clamp is attained.

As shown in FIG. 1, wherein the clamps 15 are positioned with the jaws 18 on the underside of the rail 13, the magnets 14 are applied in the same manner to these clips 15, with the bottom wall 24 of the bag thus clamped between the magnets and the clips.

In some Venetian blinds the top rail 12 is either entirely concealed within the housing 27 which supports the blind, or is so close to the housing as to make it difficult to apply the clips to the top rail. In such cases the clips would be applied to the topmost slat which would th'en be equivalent to the rai-l 12. Since for all practical purposes the top rail as well as the bottom rail may be deemed slats, i.e., the equivalent of the slats 11, the term topmost slat may be considered synonymous with top rail and the term bottommost slat synonymous With bottom rail.

It is apparent that, since the bag 20 registers rather snugly about the extended blind, upon raising the blind in the usual manner the bag will collapse accordionlike without any bulging outward of any of its vertical walls. When the blind slats are tilted in the usual manner, they do so freely without altering the shape of the bag.

Obviously the bag prevents dust from collecting on the slats, and the bag may easily be applied to the blind, or removed therefrom for cleaning it.

I claim:

1. In combination with a Venetian blind which includes a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal slats, a bag of thin plastic material `which is open at the top and consists of mutually parallel front and rear walls, mutually parallel side walls, anda bottom wall, the bag having a height in excess of the fully extended blind, the distance between said front and rear walls being substantially equal to the width of said slats, the distance between said side walls being substantially equal to the length of said slats, said bag registering about the blind with said 4bottom wall engaging the bottornmost of said slats and with a circumferential portion of the bag around the open top thereof folded down over the topmost of said slats, and releasable means for clampin-g down said circumferential portion upon said topmost slat comprising at least two magnets and two magnetizable spring clips, said clips being mounted in spaced positions on said -topmost slat and having portions thereof extending over the top surface of the topmost slat and positioned under said folded down portion of the bag, each of said magnets being mounted in engagement with a .part of said folded down port-ion which overlies one of said clips whence said folded down portion is clamped between the clips and the magnets.,

2. A combination according to claim 1, having at least two additional magnets and two additional magnetizable spring clips, said additional clips being attached to said bottommost of said `slats with portions thereof extending over the bottom surface thereof and positioned between said bottom wall of the bag and said bottommost Slat, each of said additional magnets being mounted in engagement with a part of said `bottom wall wh-ich -underlies one of said additional clips whence said bottom wall is clamped between said additional magnets and said additional clips.

3. A combination according to claim 2, sa-id portions of -said first-named clips which extend over the top surface of said topmost slat comprising two spaced jaws havin-g a gap therebetween, said portions of said additional clips which extend over the bottom surface of said bottommost slat comprising two spaced jaws having a gap therebetween, al1 `of said magnets comprising flat bars having a length greater than the `Width of said gaps and being positioned with respect -to their respective clips with the magnets bridging said gaps.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

I. K. BELL, Assistant Examiner. 

